I feel that a portion of the root issue is that churches and denominations see themselves as organizations or institutions rather than organisms. It is easier to ignore an institutional hurt than one that is part of your being.
I found this to be true for large church pastors as well. As my local church grew, the denomination and district expected more from us (in finances, deploying our staff for district needs, serving on committees, etc.), but seemed to think we didn’t need much support. The reason I left the denomination was that I knew there would be no support for a pastor’s theological journey that challenged long held beliefs, particularly as it pertains to LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Great essay!
I feel that a portion of the root issue is that churches and denominations see themselves as organizations or institutions rather than organisms. It is easier to ignore an institutional hurt than one that is part of your being.
This clergy person thanks you for naming this. It feels self-serving to bring things like this to people's attention, so I usually just grit it out.
I found this to be true for large church pastors as well. As my local church grew, the denomination and district expected more from us (in finances, deploying our staff for district needs, serving on committees, etc.), but seemed to think we didn’t need much support. The reason I left the denomination was that I knew there would be no support for a pastor’s theological journey that challenged long held beliefs, particularly as it pertains to LGBTQ+ inclusion.